'The NHS cyber-attack is a wake up call', says security specialist

The NHS cyber attack is a wake-up call for companies to improve their security and contingency plans for attacks, says the founder of the Cyber Security Expert website.

On Friday (May 12) the NHS was attacked by ransomware, causing computers to be locked unless a ransom is paid in bitcoins. Over the weekend the situation was controlled, but the full scale of the attack is still emerging

Cyber security specialist Robert Pritchard told Julia Hartley-Brewer that not updating software can leave computers vulnerable to attack and now companies must look at how they can update software quickly.

He also believes cyber-security budgets must look beyond mere security and think more holistically about their IT infrastructure, as skilled hackers are able to home in on any point of weakness.

Pritchard added that the people behind the NHS cyber-attack will probably be caught as the investigation will be a high priority. He also doubts they'll cash out any bitcoins that have been paid, as this would provide an obvious means of detection.